The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-10-10
SENT FROM SWIFT CARS.
Experiments In Teiegraphy on Moving
Trains-Its Workings Described.

Trains-Its Workings Described.
New York Commercial Advertiser.
Tie question of telegraphng between and to
and from moving trains has long interested
rap id strides that have been made by expert
ments in this direction have been eagerly
watched by those interested. AT meeting of
the Electric Club, of this city. held on Sept. 49,
the subject was discussed at length by Charles
A. Cheever, and the members manifested SO
much interest in it that the company which con-
trolls the system invited them to practical ex-
hihition of it's workings the New Jersey
division of the Lehigh Valley railroad to-day.
A large number OF scientists were present in
Guiding the chief inventors Thomas A. Edison
and Lucius j. Phelps. and many railroad officers
For several months Mr. Edison and Mr. Phelps
experimental separately the Chicago, Mill
waukee & ST. Paul, Staten Island & New York,
New Haven & Hartford railroads The system
of each was more or less imperfect. and in April
of this year they united in forming COM
panv, called the Consolidated Railway Telegraph
Company. This company has been operating on
the Lehigh road with the combined systems for
some weeks. Messages daily sent from the
trains the road. and it has been found that
under the conditions of weather the transmits
sion is accurate and complete as in the
of ordinary telegraph messages-no matter how
fast the train may be moving.
&Rairoad officers recognize the invention
one OF great significance. Its general introduce
tion If found practicable, they say would be of
incalculabs benefit in preventing accidents and
in doing away with the large number of isolated
telegraph stations which required in
ers posted as to the movements OF trains Elec-
tricians regard the invention as a great advance
in the direction of communication by induction
telegraphy. Mr.. Edison has great hopes of
tending the system so as to establish communi-
cation between moving ships at Already
he has succeeded in sending messages to and
from vessel 200 feet from shore by this means,
and on ono occasion communicated with a vessel
more than 500 feet off.
The party of electricians and others boarded
a train of tho Lehigh road at Ills o'clock this at
ternoon On the train WAS car bearing the in
scription: Telegraph Office on this train. Mes
sages sent and received while the train is in
motion" AT the end of this car sat operator
with an ordinary telegraph instrument before
him. A wire ran from the instrument to the
metal root of the car. where it was fastened in
brass clamp. This is all that is required. The
principle of the system is that when the train is
running along parallel to the telegraph wires
message sent over the latter jumps from the
metal roof Of the car and is received by the OPP
orator below. He takes it by means of a small
telephone, of which receivers strapped to
his ears 1t has been found that message will
jump through the air in this way distance of
from ton to twenty feet. The regular telegraph
wires can be used, but the company prefers to
wire along special. short poles.